College Recruiting Advice

College Recruiting Advice

A Timeline For Success* 9th Grade Settle into the high school environment. Develop good classroom and home study habits. Learn to prioritize your family, academic, athletic and social obligations. Begin listing your academic and athletic goals. In addition to your high school sports, get involved in community leadership groups, student government, etc., Join a club volleyball team that can offer you excellent training Attend as many collegiate summer camps as possible. 10th Grade Keep focused on your grades. Learn about NCAA Eligibility Center requirements and track your academic progress accordingly. Stay involved in club volleyball (ideally on a team planning to compete at Nationals at any level-- open or club. This experience will help you gauge where you stand amongst the top players in the country. College coaches will begin paying attention here). Start videotaping your most competitive matches. If you already have interest in a particular school, introduce yourself to the coach with a friendly email Attend as many collegiate summer camps as possible. 11th Grade This is the most critical year. Keep focused on your grades. Register for the fall ACT/SAT tests (and take atleast one of the tests again in the spring). Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center-- your high school guidance counselor should have these forms. Begin listing what you want in a potential college and volleyball program. Research schools and volleyball programs and keep track of your top interests. Send an introductory email or written letter to the coaches at all the schools you are interested in. Attach your updated academic/athletic profile and a link to your video footage. Visit as many college campuses as possible. These unofficial visits are done on your own, but you should still contact the coach to arrange a tour of the athletic facilities and if possible, to watch the team practice. Stay involved in club volleyball (ask coaches to evaluate your strengths/weaknesses and recommend good fits). Attend the summer camps of your top collegiate choices. 12th Grade Meet with your guidance counselor to ensure you are still on track with NCAA Eligibility Center requirements. Stay involved with club volleyball. Send coaches your club schedule and links to any new videos Re-take ACT/SAT to improve scores, if necessary. ** Keep focused on your grades -- finish strong! ** Complete any items not taken care of in the 11th grade checklist...you likely still have time! ** Fill out your FAFSA after January 1st of your senior year (www.fafsa.ed.gov) *Please note: these are general guidelines. Rules and deadlines differ amongst divisions, so check with your prospective coach(es) and academic advisor(s) for college-specific information.

Making Yourself Known The number one thing you should remember about the college recruiting process is that you (the player) must make yourself known to your prospective coach(es). In rare circumstances does the coach know about you already, so it is up to you to introduce yourself. You should never feel intimidated to approach a coach, whether it be in person or via email/phone, in fact, most coaches appreciate the opportunity to get to know you on a personal level. You are always welcome to initiate conversation-- it is the coaches' responsibility to abide by their institution's rules/bylaws and they will respond accordingly. When you find a school you are interested in, you should compose an email to the Men s Volleyball Head Coach and/or the Director of Recruiting (see sample on the next page). There are three important parts to this email: Part one- Body of the email Personalize your greeting. Coach Williams, for example, I have looked into State s biology program and I am impressed with the new state-of-the-art facilities it has to offer. Give the coach reason to believe you are seriously interested in learning about their school. Try to capture the coach s attention right away. Share something interesting about you near the beginning of the e-mail. I have a 40-inch vertical, or I am the captain of my high school team." *Include a link to your video footage if you have it prepared. Part two- Player Bio Attachment Your Player Bio is like a resume highlighting your academic and athletic achievements. It should be no more than one-page in length and attached to your email as a separate file.doc or.pdf format). You should include the following basic information: your name, position, height, jump touch, club experience, high school, GPA, ACT/SAT scores, graduation year, and contact info-- as well as a clear, recent picture of yourself. High school statistics are unnecessary-- college coaches need to see you play live. Part three- Playing Schedule Attachment Attach a schedule of where and when you play (in.doc or.pdf format). A week before an important event, send the coach a reminder email. Start sending e-mails (TODAY!) to every single coach you may be interested in playing for. Coaches all talk to one another and the more your name comes up in conversation the better. In the meantime...you should be working hard for straight A s to raise your GPA as high as possible. Due to the limited number of athletic scholarships men s volleyball programs can award, coaches are almost always looking for the total package-- a player with athletic and academic promise.

Sample Email to Coach From: Jimmy Smith <jsmith@email.com> To: Joe Williams <jwilliams@statecollege.edu> Date: Monday, December 10, 2014 : JSmith13_bio.pdf, JSmith13_schedule.pdf Dear Coach Williams, I would like to express my interest in learning more about the State College Men's Volleyball Program. I had the chance to visit your campus this past summer and I really liked its close-proximity to the city and beaches. Also, the brand-new science center caught my attention as I intend to major in biology. With its strong academic reputation and the continued success of the Spartan's Men's Volleyball program, State College is one of my top choices. I am a 6'3 junior outside hitter for Oakton High School in Anytown, USA. I play club for XYZ Volleyball Club on the 17 Black Team. My approach jump touch is 11'. I am a very physical athlete and I play with alot of energy on the court. You can read my academic and athletic accomplishments in the attached player bio, but I'd like to highlight the fact I am a high-honors student with a 3.8 GPA. I take my academics as seriously as my volleyball endeavors, which is a promise I will keep in college. You can find my player bio and remaining club tournament schedule attached. On February 2nd and 3rd, I will be playing in the Anytown National Qualifier and I would be honored if you stopped by to watch me play. The following is a link to my video footage as well: www.youtube.com/jsmithvb13 Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. Jimmy Smith (555) 555-5555 7

Sample Player Bio JIMMY SMITH 12345 Main Street Anytown, USA 65432 (555) 555-5555 jsmith@email.com Your photo here Education: Oakton High School, Anytown, USA Graduation Year: 2015 GPA: 3.83 ACT: Will take in February Height/Weight: Position: Jump Touch: Present Club: Previous Club(s): 6'3" / 175 lbs. OH 11'3" XYZ Volleyball Club / 17 Black Team 2nd place at Big City National Qualifier named to All-Tournament Team Super VBC / 16 Select Team competed at Nationals in 2006 (club division) Camp Experience: State College Volleyball Camp July 7-10, 2014 Received "Best Outside Hitter" award State University Boys' Elite Camp July 18-20, 2014 Academic/Athletic Honors: Reference: National Honor Society Member First Team All-Conference junior year Second Team All-Conference sophomore year Carl Johnson, Head Coach, XYZ Volleyball Club/17 Black Team (555) 555-5556 cjohnson@email.com

Video Footage Do's and Don'ts DO: begin with a BRIEF (30-second) oncamera personal introduction: Hi Coach, My name is Jimmy Smith. I am a junior at Oakton High School. I currently have a 3.8 GPA...I play libero for XYZ Club...I hope you enjoy my tape. follow with a match highlight segment. Show plays where you execute the following skills effectively in a match (only if applicable to your position): -attacking -passing -setting -blocking -serving -digging DO NOT: forget to specify your jersey number and/or your starting location on the court. The coach needs to know who to watch! use distasteful/innappropriate background music. limit the coach s viewing perspective. It is important for him/ her to see where each ball is coming from, how you contact it, and the end result. send unnecessary game footage (long delays between plays, games, etc). include unedited footage from a competitive match. This should be a match that displays your best playing skills and character. email coach a link to your video(s) on YouTube, Vimeo, or another video sharing site. This will make it most-convenient for him/her to watch you play. 9

Terms to Understand* NCAA The largest governing body of collegiate athletics in the USA DIV I An NCAA classification based on the number of sports the institution sponsors. Div I schools meet the highest number of sport sponsorship minimums of the three NCAA divisions and can award scholarships for athletic ability. DIV II An NCAA classification based on the number of sports the institution sponsors. Div II schools meet the second highest number of sport sponsorship minimums of the three NCAA divisions and can award scholarships for athletic ability. DIV III An NCAA classification based on the number of sports the institution sponsors. Div III schools meet the same required sport sponsorship minimums as Div II schools, however Div III schools cannot award scholarships for athletic ability. NAIA Another prominent governing body of collegiate athletics NCAA Eligibility Center Essentially gives your prospective institution the green-light to continue the recruiting/application process with you. It confirms your amateur status as an athlete and that you are on-track to completing the required academic courseload. official visit The institution may pay for all or part of your visit to the campus/ surrounding area. unofficial visit The instution may not pay for any part of your visit to the campus/ surrounding area. NLI (National Letter of An official document serving as an agreement between you and Intent) your institution of choice that you will attend their school full-ride A term used to describe a athletic/academic scholarship that covers 100% of your tuition/room and board expenses. It is extremely rare for a collegiate men's volleyball program to give such an award. Most athletes (even top-tier recruits) receive financial aid packages with a variety of funding sources: academic, athletic, and government grants, loans, etc. FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) The US Government and many collegiate institutions ask you to submit this form to determine your eligibility for financial aid (grants, loans, work-study programs, etc). www.fafsa.ed.gov

Final Thoughts On your GRADES... I cannot stress the importance of keeping good grades enough. Athletic scholarship money in this men s sport is very limited meaning your grades play a huge role in the financial award equation. Often times only 1/10th of a point of a prospective athlete s GPA will qualify him for several thousands of dollars per year of additional academic money, which adds up to a significant sum over the length of his career. If your grades are less-than-stellar right now, don t stress out or give up, just recognize where you are struggling and begin making changes and seeking help TODAY. Also, take your ACT/SAT testing seriously. These scores play just as important a role as your overall GPA. You can bet that one of the very first questions a coach asks about an athlete is How are his grades and test scores? On your VOLLEYBALL GOALS... There are so many schools out there offering men s collegiate volleyball programs. Explore all of your options before becoming set on just one. Visit as many campuses and meet as many coaches and players as possible. Be sure you have a realistic understanding of how you fit in each program. At one school, a coach may see you as a second-string or practice player, but at another, you may be expected to fill a starting spot immediately. How might you feel in each scenario? Be honest with yourself and don t be afraid to ask prospective coach for advice. On your OVERALL HAPPINESS... When considering a school, think about what your experience would be like if volleyball were taken out of the picture. If the program were to be cut, or you suffered an unfortunate career-ending injury, would you still be happy attending the school? Do you feel at home away from home when you re there? Are you comfortable with the distance between you and your family? Does the school offer the degree program you are interested in? Be sure to consider all of the elements that effect your happiness when deciding on a school, as college brings some of the most exciting, memorable years of your life. Fo r Mo r e In f o... Check out these helpful websites: www.ncaa.org www.naia.org www.avca.org www.middlehitter.com